Ribbed fabric construction and method of making same



Jan 5, 1960 R. P. LoEPER 2,919,557

RIBBED FABRIC CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 o' n 'JV J j IN V'ENTOR.

36 Robert P 0e/ner A TTORNE Y.

Jan. 5, 1960 RIBBED FABRIC CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Deo. 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vVM Y 5k X L mig/JLM@ NVENTOR. @Obert P 0e/oer ATTORNEY'.

R. P. LoEPER 2,919,567

, United States RIBBED FABRIC CNSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME j Robert Loeper, West Reading, Pa., assigner to Textile Machine Works, Wyomssing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 20, 1956, Serial No. 629,620

' 1 claim. (ci. sis-irs) This invention relates to the knitting of garments such as sweaters and the like and rnore particularly to the formation of elastic bands as integral parts of such garments.

In outer garments such .as sweaters, the component parts are knitted in the form of separately fashioned blanks Ifrom inelastic yarns or the blanks are cut to shape yfrom inelastic fabric knitted in sheet form and the edges of the blanks are then joined by searning or the like to form the completed garment. Such sweaters are usl ually provided with preformed band portions which are attached to the sweater in `any -well known manner to `act as a waistband, cutis for the sleeves and in some i instances, a collar or neck band. The preformed bands 4were usually of a .single ply ribbed construction knitted "of an inelastic yarn on a rib machine, the ribbed structure providing the bands with an inherent elasticity which due torepeated iiexings thereof such as occurs when the sweater yis placed on and removed from the body of the wearer.

Inattempts to reduce the costs of producing sweaters havingk separately fashioned body and sleeve portions, it has been proposed to form the ribbed bands as integral parts of the various portions making up the completed garment. However, ribbed bands of either single or double ply heretofore formed on full-fashioned knittingV machines, while having a somewhat similar appearance to the true lrib structure formed on rib machines, do not correctly simulate the true rib fabric and have very little, ifv any, of the desired elasticity of the latter. Thereforewhile the proposed production methods reduced the cost of the sweater garments, the garments produced were inferior in both appearance and quality as compared to garments produced by the more costly methods.

is anbbject ofthe instant invention to provide a `.garnicht that is not only more economical to manufacture wth'anthe garments referred to above, but which also overcomes the Iabove mentioned and other objections to such garments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sweater type garment with integrally formed portions, designed to resist displacement of the garment in use, which have improved appearance and elastic characteristics.

A lfurther object of the invention is to provide a full- 'fashioned knitted sweater with integrally formed portions of inelastic yarn having a ribbed structure, said atent Y not only acted to resist displacement of the sweater when ,in use but also acted to resist distortion of the band 'of known type.

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apparent from the detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel elements, features of construction and cooperation of parts, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a knitted sweater having folded welt or bands portions constructed according to the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view through one of the band portions taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail View on an enlarged scale of the loop structure of the band of Figs. 1 and 2, the band being shown as it appears during fabrication and before the band is folded and having distance breaks indicating the omission of portions of the band;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of the folded welt or band structure;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 3 and i1- lustrating the loop structure of the band portion of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is `a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a further form of band structure according to the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to a portion of Fig. 5 illustrating the loop structure of the band of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a full-fashioned sweater 10 of the pull-over type, having a front main panel 11, a corresponding rear panel (not j shown) and sleeve portions 12, all of which are separately formed portions knitted of inelastic yarn in the form of iat selvaged blanks on full-fashioned knitting machines The selvages of the front and rear main panels are joined to each other by side seams 15 and a top seam 16. The selvages of each sleeve are joined by a seam 17 and the sleeves are joined to the panels by seams '20. The sweater 1t) is provided with a waist band po-rtion 21, cutis 22 for the sleeve portions 12 and a neck band or collar 25.

The waist band, cuif and collar portions are preferably of a folded or two-ply structure similar to the usual ,of the cuff portion are joined by a continuation of the seam 17. The collar 25 may also be formed as an in tegral part ofY and knitted as a flat continuation'of'the front and rear main panel blanks. At completion of the panels the collar fabric is folded and the'free edge thereof attached'to'the panel fabric by seaming or looping. In the completed'sweater the ends of the collar portions are joined by continuations of the top seams 16.

As indicated in Figs. l and 2, the waist band 21 is provided with outer and inner plies or walls 26 and 27, respectively, which are knitted of inelastic yarn in the form of a flat fabric 3@ having a plain loop starting course 31 and a plain loop last course 32 (Fig. 3). Intermediate the courses 31 and 32 thte fabric 3d is provided with narrow plain loo-p selvage portions 3S at opposite walevvise extending edges of the fabric and a portion 36 having spaced walewise extending ribs 37 intermediate the selvage portions. The ribs are formed through the use of conventional point bars and associated mechanisrn of full-fashioned knitting machines by engaging and transferring a loop from every third Wale 40 to the left to be doubled with a plain loop in a next adjacent Wale 41 in a course 42 following the plain loop course 31. In a next succeeding course 45, loops in the wales 40 are transferred to the right to be doubled with plain loops in next adjacent wales 46. In the knitting of the remaining courses between courses 31 and 32 the loops f `the wales "40 are alternately transferred "to the left in courses 42, and to the right in courses 45. The ribs `thus formed alternating with .the resulting openwork :loops from wales 40 and the plain loops in Wales 41 in each of the courses 42, the transferred and plain loops acting to anchor the elastic yarn in the courses. The elastic yarn is inserted between the loops after the loops of wales 40 are engaged by the transfer points and lifted from the needles on which they were formed but bevfore the loops are transferred and doubled with the plain loops as hereinbefore set forth. As shown in Fig. 3,`the elastic yarn 47 is in the form of straight lengths or runs 48 extending back and forth across the width of the fabric between the edge portions 35 'of the fabric. The ends of the runs are connected alternately at opposite edges of the fabric by short sections 49 of the elastic yarn which are taken into the seam joining the ends of the band portions. The ribs 37 each comprises two plain loop wales 41 and 46 and the loops of the adjacent wales 40 doubled therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, but it will be obvious that each rib may consist of only a single plain loop Wale or of more than two wales. It will also be obvious that the constrictive force of the band`21 may be varied by changing the size of the elastic yarn 47, by changing the tension in the yarn 47, by varying the frequency of the courses having elastic yarn, or by a combination of one or more of these features. Following completion of the fabric 30, the fabric is lfolded to form the plies 26 and 27 and the loops of the course 31 `are replaced on the needles and joined with the loops of course 32 by the first course of the main panel fabric 11. This operation conforms to the conventional welt turning operation in the manufacture of full-fashioned hosiery and may be performed by hand or by automatic means. The cuffs 22 for the sleeves 12 and collar 25 have fewer courses and wales but are otherwise constructed in the same manner as the band 21. The cuff fabric which is the portion of the sleeve first knitted, may be turned similarly as the fabric of the band 21. However, the collar being a continuation of the body fabric, is turned after the body fabric is removed from the knitting machine, as previously explained.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modified form of fabric band 50 `generally similar to the band 21 of Figs. 1 and 2 and which may be knitted integrally with the several blanks making up the sweater 10. In this embodiment the band '50 has a plain loop inner ply 51 and an outer ply 52 (Fig. 5) having ribs 55 which are 'formed by transferring the loops of certain of the fabric wales in the same manner as the ribs 37 of the fabric 30. Spaced courses of the outer ply 52 are provided with straight lengths of a'n elastic yarn 56 which are anchored by the transferred loops forming the ribs 55 in the same manner as in the fabric 30. With this arrangement the ribbed outer ply 52 appears on the outer surface of the garment while the inner ply of plain fabric is in engagement with the body of the wearer.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a further modified form of fabric band 60 according to the invention having only a single ply 61. The band 60 is provided with ribs 62 and straight lengths of an elastic yarn which extend coursewise of the band and are anchored by the transferred loops in certain courses of the fabric. Except that the ribs 62 are shown as comprising three wales, the band 60 is formed in the same manner as the band 21. The band 60 is also provided with a lock stitch starting course 66 which is preferably constructed in the manner shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,833,705 issued to J. M. Botts, on September l2, 1931.

lt will be understood that the several forms of fabric specifically shown and described by which the'above results are obtained, can be changed and modified in various machine, lifting the loops of spaced wales of said course from spaced needles, inserting a length of elastic yarn between said lifted loops and the loops remaining on the intervening needles, transferring the lifted loops in one direction to the intervening needles to double said lifted loops with the loops of said intervening needles, forming a second course of loops on said needles and knitting said second course of loops through the loops of said first course, lifting the loops of said spaced wales of said second course from said spaced needles, transferring said lifted loops in said second course in a direction opposite to the transfer of the loops of the first course to the intervening needles to double the last mentioned lifted loops with the loops on the intervening needles, and 'repeating the steps to form said courses throughout said portion of said fabric.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 881,495 Scott Mar. 10, 1908 1,970,935 Hemmerich Aug. 21, 1934 2,185,844 Gastrich Jan. v2, 1940 2,246,246 Gastrich June 17, 1941 2,274,812 Smetana Mar. 3, 1942 

